Close Your Eyes
by arygon199
Summary: For a moment she looks conflicted and she’s probably wondering if this is a good idea, but he can see the pure desire in her eyes and he knows she won’t refuse. She wants this just as much as he does. BL


**A/N: I know Vegas fics have been done over and over, but I've wanted to write one for awhile now and I finally decided to. This is what I came up with. I hope you all like it, even though it's not incredibly original. **

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**_Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, things on the show would be lot different. The title of the story belongs to Young Love._**

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**Close Your Eyes**

This is it.

The moment Lucas dials her number his life is going to change. He just hopes it is for the better. He's done a lot of thinking about this and ironically has come to the conclusion that he is doing _too_ much thinking. He shouldn't have to _think _about who he wants to be with. He shouldn't rely on himself to _choose_ who he wants to love; he should just sit back and listen to what his heart and his soul needs. And that is what he does. And he realizes now that there is only one person who he needs. He doesn't make the decision in the end. It is just the way he feels.

With a heavy sigh, he prays to God that she will say yes— that she will accept him into her life not as just a friend or boyfriend, but as a husband. He knows now that she is the one he wants standing next to him when all his dreams come true. She has _always_ been the one he wanted.

He punches her number on his speed dial and soon it is ringing. All the while, his breathe is caught in his throat, waiting for her voice to echo into his ear.

"Hello?"

And there it is – the most beautiful sound in the world. Now all he can do is go for it.

"Hey, it's me. Look, I'm at the airport and I've got two tickets to Las Vegas. Do you want to get married tonight?"

There is a very long pause and for a moment he thinks she has hung up.

"I'm sorry, what?"

He takes another deep breath. "I'm pretty sure that I'm in love with you. It's taken me awhile to figure it out, but I'm sure now. I love you and I want you to be my wife."

Another pause, but he is comforted by the soft sound of her breathing over the line. She must think he is crazy, but he has to do this. He has to let her know how strongly he feels for her.

"You seriously didn't just propose to me over the phone, did you?"

Her feisty tone takes him by surprise, but he's glad that he didn't get a flat out no. "Well, yes, but—."

"No, no buts. It does not work that way. Sorry, but it just doesn't. Besides the fact that we haven't been together in almost five years, proposing over the phone just won't cut it. So I'm going to choose to forget this whole crazy conversation ever happened. Now, why don't you hang up and call Peyton. She's not desperate, but she just might love you enough to accept a lame phone call proposal."

"Brooke, will you calm down?" This sounds insensitive and so he lowers his voice softly. "I'm sorry that I just sprung this on you. It wasn't fair at all. But I really do love you, Brooke, and I want you to marry you."

"How can you even say that, Luke, when just two days ago you were pining over Lindsay? I don't even know how you expect me to possibly believe that you've moved on and suddenly love me again after all these years? It doesn't make sense to me."

"I love Lindsay, I can't deny it. I love her just like I love Peyton. But what makes all the difference is that I realized that I'm not _in _love with either of them, not like I'm in love with you. I was in love with the idea of me and Lindsay, but I wasn't truly in love with her."

"And how do I know that you're not in love with the idea of me and you? Because I know what you're thinking, Lucas. I know you too well. You're thinking that these past few months with me, you, and Angie have been amazing. You're thinking that we were like a family and that what we had during that time was what you wanted. It was what you dreamed of. And now you think that we can just settle down together and start our own family. Is that what you're thinking?"

In truth, he knows that he and Brooke both want the same thing—a family of their own. But there are so many other reasons he wants to be with her.

"We both want a family, yes. I do know that. But that isn't why I want you. You were my first love, Brooke. You were my first of so many things. And I know that it seemed like Peyton always overshadowed my love for you, but you can't deny that what we had was real and amazing."

"And in the past." Her voice is bitter. "Five years ago to be exact. It doesn't matter anymore."

"But it does, Brooke. It matters so much. Because I dreamed of marrying you back then, just like I want to marry you now. And when you broke up with me, my dreams were dashed and I had to settle for second best—Peyton. I've settled all these years, but I wanted you to be happy and if that meant it was without me then I had to deal with it. But there has always been a part of my heart that belonged to you. In the back of my mind, I always knew that we had unfinished business and now I want to finish what we started. I want to be with you, Pretty Girl. Forever."

"Lucas…" She sounds tired now, not angry, and he knows that this conversation is taking its toll on her.

"Please, Brooke, just come. We don't have to get married, but at least come so we can talk and figure this out."

He hears a loud sigh on her end of the line and then she speaks. "Okay. When is the flight leaving?"

"An hour."

"Geez, Luke, thanks for the notice. Now I'm not going to have any time to pack my good clothes."

He's happy that she's at least able to joke around with him. "Sorry. I'll buy you some stuff when we get there."

"Is that a bribe?"

"You've already said you'd come so no, it's just me wanting to take care of you."

"Fine. I'll see you in twenty minutes."

A huge smile overtakes his face as he shuts his phone. She said she'd come. And even though she didn't officially accept his proposal, he knows that they will at least be able to sort through their issues and figure out what to do next. And maybe in the midst of that, she will agree to be his wife.

**888**

When he sees her face appear through the crowds of people, he is afraid his heart is going to give out. He has never been so happy to see her in his life. It's crazy to think that just this morning they were in very same place, him comforting her after dropping off Angie. It seems like a lifetime ago.

She's got her Brooke Davis scowl on her face, which clearly tells him that she's not happy with him. But lucky for him, he knows that this isn't the unforgivable scowl she's got on; it's more of the 'I'm annoyed with you' one she used to wear a lot when they dated. He missed it more than he could have imagined.

He jumps from his seat to meet her. Her eyes are on him as she stops and stands in the middle of the crowded airport. She crosses her arms, staring him down with that scowl.

"Lucas Scott, you really are screwed up."

He just smiles, pulling her into his arms. She stands there limply for just a moment before giving into his embrace and letting her arms wrap around him too. A content smile lingers on his lips as he pulls away and looks her straight in the eye.

"I'm still the guy for you, Brooke Davis," he says. "And I'm going to prove it to you every day for the rest of your life."

Now she wears a look of defeat. "I hate that you have this effect on me. I can't resist you, Lucas. I wish I could, but I can't because even after all these years I still love you every bit as much as I did in high school. Actually, I'm pretty sure I love you more. And now you're bringing it all up again and I'm giving you my heart with the risk that you might break it again. So you've got to promise me something, Lucas. You have to promise me that you're not going to break it this time. Because I'm not sure I'll be able to survive this time if you do."

His hands move up to her face, cupping her cheeks. "I'm not going to break your heart, Pretty Girl. I promise you that. But you've got to promise me something too."

She looks confused for a moment, but nods.

"Promise me that you won't break my heart either. Because you may not know it, but when you broke up with me senior year, I was crushed. I don't want to lose you ever again, Brooke. I don't want to settle for second best anymore. I want you and only you. Nothing else can possibly compare. So will you promise me that?"

A tear slips down her cheek and he wipes it away with his thumb. "I promise." She laughs slightly as the tears continue to fall. "God, Luke, I feel like we're making our own little marriage vows right now."

"Maybe we are," he says simply. "We're making a commitment and a promise to each other right now and I intend to keep it, for better or for worse."

She just shakes her head, a small smile on her face. He smiles too and his hands move from her face to her waist. And then, without any warning, she pulls his head down towards hers and her lips are crashing onto his. There are no words to properly describe how amazing this feels. He can't believe that he has gone so long without feeling her lips, her skin, against his. And now that he has a taste of her again, he knows that he cannot live without her.

When she pulls away, he leans his forehead against hers. They simply look at each other, both with content smiles on their face. His hand trails up and down her back and her hands rest on his chest.

And here, in the middle of this crowded airport, he is pretty sure that he is in heaven.

**888**

When they land, it is the early hours of morning. He makes a call to the Bellagio and books a hotel room and soon they are on their way. They didn't do a lot of talking on the plane. They were both exhausted, her more so than him, and so she slept most of the way, her head resting on his shoulder.

She receives a call from the adoption agency right as they make their way into their hotel room. They tell her that Angie made it home safely and that her parents are so grateful for all she did for her. He can tell that this is a bittersweet moment for her and so he simply envelops her into his arms as they fall onto their bed. She falls asleep quickly after.

They still have a lot of talking to do, but they have time. He knows that thoughts of Peyton constantly flood the back of her mind. She probably feels like she has betrayed her best friend. He hopes that Peyton can try to be happy for them like Brooke did for them back in high school. It wouldn't be fair for Peyton to criticize Brooke for choosing for once in her life to be a little selfish.

**888**

She is still asleep when he wakes. It is almost noon and he knows that there is something he has to do. There is no way that he can leave here without doing this. And so he places a kiss on her forehead, leaving her by herself, and trudges out into the dry Las Vegas air. He isn't exactly sure where he will find what he is looking for, but after a half hour of searching he finally finds a small jewelry shop.

A smile appears on his lips as he looks down at the all the rings. It doesn't matter the price, he just wants to find her the perfect one—a ring that is meant only for her finger. And even if she isn't ready to wear it yet, it is okay, because he will wait for her, whether she says yes, no, or someday. She's worth all the waiting in the world.

And then he sees it. It's hidden behind the more modern and luxurious rings, but it is the one that stands out above all of the others. He asks the saleswoman if he can see it and a second later, when he holds it in his hand, he knows without a doubt that he has found the perfect one.

It's more unconventional than the simple diamond engagement rings that most women wear nowadays, but it is so infinitely Brooke. The ruby is what caught his attention most. Red is one of the symbols of their relationship and what better to show that then to have her look down at her finger as a reminder for the rest of her life. The ruby is centered on gold band, with two diamonds sitting on either side. He doesn't think it's possible to find anything more perfect for her than this.

**888**

He stuffs the ring box safely into his pocket as he opens the door to their suite. He isn't completely sure how he is going to do this, but he does know that he can't wait too much longer.

"Morning, Pretty Girl." He smiles as he swings his legs up and sits next to her in the bed. She is leaning up against the headboard, a magazine in her hands. He moves forwards and brushes his lips against hers. She looks slightly hesitant when she pulls away, as if she isn't quite sure she can believe this is real. He kisses her again, wordlessly conveying that this is very much reality.

"Where've you been?" she asks breathlessly after the kiss is broken.

"I had something important I needed to do."

"And are you going to tell me what it was?"

"Later," he says with a grin.

Surprisingly she doesn't object to this. Instead her eyes flutter over to her phone, which lies on the coffee table next to the bed.

"Peyton called."

He frowns. "Oh."

"She's wondering where I am. I don't know what to tell her."

He pulls out his own phone, which has been shut off ever since they left Tree Hill. He probably has quite a few messages for himself. He switches it back on and sure enough, Haley, Nathan, and even Peyton have tried calling numerous times.

"Maybe you should tell her the truth," he says after a moment.

"It's not that easy," she says despondently. "She loves you, Lucas, and you want me to tell her that you and I are back together and in Vegas? It'll kill her."

"It'll hurt her," he agrees, "but she needs to know the truth. We can't keep this from her." His hand takes hold of hers. "I won't hide my love for you from anyone."

Brooke lets out a long sigh. "She's going to hate me."

"She'd be a horrible friend if she did."

"I'd deserve it."

"No, you wouldn't. You're just putting yourself first for once. There's nothing wrong with that."

"I just don't know how she's going to handle this. She's in love with you and I'm taking you away from her."

He shakes his head. "She's in love with the idea of me, Brooke."

"You don't know that."

"Maybe I don't for sure, but I can tell that she is clinging onto what she and I used to have. She can't move on from the past and figure out that we're both different people now. What we used to have isn't there anymore. She and I are over. And once she finally accepts that, she can move on and be happy with someone who will love her the way she deserves to be loved. But I'm not that guy for her, Brooke. I don't think I ever was."

She looks like she wants to object, but then her eyes fall down to her hands and she just sits there, defeated once again. His arms wrap around her, willing to give her any comfort he can. She leans against him as they slip down the headboard and lay on the bed.

After a few minutes, she speaks. "What are we going, Luke?"

His eyes narrow and he hopes that they aren't going to go through this conversation again. But luckily, she sits up, a mischievous smile on her lips.

"We're in Vegas – Sin City— and we're sitting here moping in our hotel room. Why don't we go out and have some fun?"

"Well, then," he says with a grin, "let's go."

**888**

They end up shopping, of course. She leads him from shop to shop the whole afternoon, but he doesn't mind; he just loves spending time with her. When she shops, she is in her element. She is able to forget everything else in her life and focus on her favorite activity. Anyone who knows Brooke well can tell you this. And so it comforts him to see her looking like her cheerful self instead of the broody front she'd put on earlier.

When they go out to eat later that evening, though, she looks sad again. His hand reaches across the table to hold hers.

"What's wrong?" he softly asks.

Her eyes move over to a few tables behind them, where a woman sits across from her husband. A little girl that can't be older than two rests sleepily against her mother's chest. Understanding washes over him.

"You miss Angie." She just nods and his grip on her hand tightens. "I know it was tough to have to send her home, but what you did was amazing. I don't know anyone else who could do what you did."

A sad smile sits on her face. "It's just hard knowing that I probably won't ever see her again. I never knew how quickly I would bond with her. I know I didn't have her for a very long time, but I feel like I gave away my daughter yesterday."

"She was yours, Brooke. Even if it was only for a little while, she was yours. And she'll always have that place in your heart."

Silence overtakes them for a moment. Brooke's eyes move back over to the little family behind them and she sighs.

"I just want to be a mom, but I can't do that again, Lucas. I can't just take in kid after kid only to send them away again in order to gain the adoption agency's trust. There's just no way."

"And you don't have to." He squeezes her hand in reassurance. "You don't need to adopt; you have me now."

Her eyes dart over to him in surprise. "Lucas…"

"I'm never going to leave you again, Brooke. This thing we've started—it's forever. There's no letting go anymore. And so whenever you're ready to have a baby, I will be too. I love you, Pretty Girl, and I want to make you happy. That's all I want."

For a moment she looks conflicted and she's probably wondering if this is a good idea, but he can see the pure desire in her eyes and he knows she won't refuse. She wants this just as much as he does.

And then a small smile forms on her lips. "I've been ready to have a baby for a long time."

**888**

Their clothes are strewn across the room and only a thin white sheet covers their naked bodies. He falls onto his back, trying to catch his breath, and looks at the person lying next to him. Brooke is staring up at the ceiling, her chest rising up and down rapidly as her finger grasp tightly onto the sheet. He tries to comprehend what just happened, but it is still too far over his head. He can't believe that it has been five years since he has been with her in this way. He missed the feel of her bare skin against his and the way she moaned his name as he slipped inside of her. But most of all, he just missed _her._

"I love you."

His heart skips a beat at her words. She told him she loved him yesterday, back in Tree Hill. She had wanted him to know that she would always love him as a friend, no matter what happened between them. But this time, even though the words are the same, it has a completely different meaning.

He flips on his side, his hand falling to the bare skin of her stomach, and he lightly kisses her lips. "I love you too, Pretty Girl."

She moans softly as he kisses her again. His hands roam up and down her body as she moves on top of him. He grins widely when she pulls away and is happy to see that she is smiling too. In this moment, she looks truly happy. It reminds him of that night so long ago, in Rachel's cabin, when they laid together in front of the fire, simply resting in each other's arms. Now that he thinks about it, that was the last time he felt completely content. He'd never been fully at peace since then, but now, here in this hotel room with her, he feels it again.

Everything is the way it should be.

Suddenly she is sitting up, pulling the sheet around her body. "Luke, what is that?" He looks over to floor, where her gaze is focused, and there, lying next to his discarded jeans, is the black little box he had bought earlier that morning.

He lifts himself off the bed and picks up the box. This isn't exactly how he'd planned on doing this, but it has to be better than his phone call proposal. Her eyes are wide; she knows exactly what he is going to do.

"This," he held up the box, "is what I had to get this morning." He sits down on the edge of the bed and soon she is right next to him.

"I love you, Brooke, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. We're going to have a family soon, but I want to do it the right way. So," he takes a long, steadying breathe. He's done this two times before, three counting last night, but this time feels so different— it feels right. "Will you marry me?"

Tears well up in her eyes, but she is smiling and this eases his nerves. And then she is nodding and pure joy erupts in his heart. "Yes, Luke, I'll marry you."

His lips crack into a huge smile. He pulls her into his arms, his lips crashing onto hers, and he realizes that this is perhaps the happiest moment of his life.

"Ring?" she asks with a playful smile as she pulls away.

He laughs at the eagerness in her voice and opens the box. The look on her face as she stares down at it tells him that he made the right choice. And when he slips it on to her finger and the happy tears start pouring down her cheeks, he knows without a doubt that she is the girl for him. She always has been and always will be.

**888888888888888**

"Hey, Pretty Girl."

She looks up from her design and smiles. "Hey, fiancé." Her hand pats the spot next to her on the couch and he sits.

"How's the sketching going?"

"Okay. I'm trying to make sure I've got them all done by the end of the weekend, but I don't know if I'll be able to manage it."

"Please don't stress yourself out, Brooke," he says, looking at her seriously. "It's not good for you or the baby."

Her face lights up at the mention of their baby and she moves her hand to her slightly swollen stomach. She's got four months to go and neither of them can be more excited. Brooke found out she was pregnant two months after they returned from Las Vegas. It wasn't a surprise. They'd talked about it in Vegas and decided to start trying right away.

When they'd told everyone the news, Haley had questioned if they were moving too fast. Getting married was a big enough deal, but to have a baby on top of it was not a light thing. He'd told her that they probably _were_ moving fast, but this was what he wanted and, most of all, it was what Brooke wanted.

"Stop worrying, Broody," Brooke says playfully, "I know my limits."

"I can't help it." He bends down and kisses her belly. "I just want to keep my girls as safe as possible."

Her hand caresses his face, her thumb gently brushing his cheek. "I know you do." He smiles, kissing her softly. "Peyton wants to hang out tonight," she says after they break apart.

"Really?" he asks in surprise.

She nods and she looks so happy that she gets to spend time with her best friend.

Life definitely hadn't been a fairy tale when they returned home. Peyton wasn't been happy, to say the least, to hear about their engagement. After calming down, she told both Brooke and Lucas that she needed some time to think everything over and then left without telling anyone where she was going.

She returned three weeks later to patch up things with Brooke. She wanted them to be happy and that was all that mattered. Still, it had been hard for Brooke and Peyton to get back to the friendship they once had. They didn't spend as much time together anymore and when they did, Brooke told him that they often avoided the subject of him. So to hear that Peyton wants to hang out with Brooke is a very good thing; it means Peyton is moving forward.

"That's great, Brooke."

She smiles. "I know. Did you hear that she's been in touch with Jake?"

"No," he says, surprised once again. "When did this happen?"

"Apparently she saw him during her time away. They've been rebuilding their friendship ever since."

"Wow."

"I feel like everything is going to be okay again. Even Peyton seems happy."

"I'm glad. Peyton deserves to have a happy ending."

"Yeah, she does."

"And so do you."

She looks at him, her eyes gently probing his, and intertwines their fingers. "You've already given me my happy ending."

He just smiles. "And you've given me mine."


End file.
